Here are the reflections for the 5th Sunday in Lent. We explore the Lectionary Readings for this Sunday and reflect on other bits and pieces of interesting information the net has brought to our attention.
Just as a seine net pulls up all sorts of things, some unexpected, so I think of this Seine Net Reflection post, as it grabs bits of information off the net.
If you would like to see a page with the previous reflections, you can follow this link.
The Lectionary Readings for today
Scripture Lessons for this Week: the 5th Sunday in Lent:
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33
Reflections on the Scripture
As I have mentioned, two of the books I highly recommend reading during the B Lectionary cycle are Ched Meyers. Binding the Strong Man and Wes Howard-Brooks Becoming Children of God. Both books are well worth checking out and reading closely. Meyers closely examines Mark while Howard-Brooks takes a close look at John.
Jeremiah and the Psalm
Originally, as Lent started, I was planning on staying with the Gospel lessons through the season of Lent. However, due to the circumstances over the last week, I think the Lectionary texts from Jeremiah and Psalm 119 are much more appropriate this week.
In particular I have been struck with the passages from Jeremiah
“I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.”
And from the Psalm 119
“With my whole heart I will seek you; do not let me stray from your commandments … with my lips I will declare your ordinances …”
With the Paper in One Hand and the Scripture in the Other
That was how I was taught to respond, to reflect upon, to read and study and prepare for worship (and life). And the happenings of this week?
Out of the Vatican we hear that the priests shall not bless same sex unions. Homophobia.
While in the United States we have multiple shootings of Asian and Asian-American women. Not to mention the continuing anti-Asian, anti-Pacific Islander, white-supremacy racism and misogyny.
That is what we find in the newspapers. In the scriptures we have lessons about what it means to actually love God (which always involves loving our neighbors). Loving God and Neighbor (and self) are intertwined with one another.
Love is Love is Love is Love is …
God is Love. The Divine is the ultimate Lover. And we are created in the image of God, in the image of Love. Love is what is written upon our hearts. If we take ourselves seriously as the Temples of God, then we are where Love dwells. And we recognize that others are also created in the image of God: they, too, are where Love dwells. By loving one another, we love God who is Love.
All of which is to say, that all persons are of equal value in the sight of God.
There is no room for homophobia, racism, misogyny because we are about loving one another. These have no room in the Community of God.
A Reflection on the Environment
Clean Ocean Sailing is a non-profit group out of Cornwall, UK who has some great stuff on Instagram regarding their work cleaning the coastline from plastic. By the way, there is nothing to stop you from doing the same in your area. Earlier this week, they reminded us that the shorelines aren’t the only place where we could do some spring cleaning.
March 20, 2021 is Digital Cleanup Day. You can visit digital.worldcleanupday.org to learn more. Clean Ocean Sailing notes:
In 2020 the ICT sector is estimated to emit 900 million tons of CO2. Old emails, files, apps and duplicated photos and videos are all digital waste – consuming unnecessary amounts of energy just to maintain! So the simple act of cleaning out your inbox and getting rid of unwanted data can have a great impact on the environment
More Dead Sea Scrolls Found
I do not know how many of you noticed this discovery this week. Patrick Smith writes for NBC “Dead Sea Scrolls discovers are first ancient Bible texts to be found in 60 years” on March 16, 2021.
Reflections for Woman’s History Month
Junko Tabei (22 September 1939 – 20 October 1916) was a Japanese mountaineer, author and teacher. After college (with a degree in English literature) she organized an all-woman’s climbing club. Tabei is the first woman to have climbed Mount Everest (1975). She then followed that achievement by continuing to climb, completing the Seven Summits (the highest peaks of the seven continents) in 1992. In addition to the mountaineering, Tabei has written books, and taken on environmental initiatives from sustainable climbing to presiding over preservation organizations. You can read more about Tabei by following this link to an Adventure Journal article, “Junko Taibei, the First Woman to Climb Everest and the Seven Summits” by Abbie Barronian.
A Spiritual Practice
This week I thought we would reflect upon the spiritual practice of walking a labyrinth. A labyrinth is not a maze. Mazes often have blind alleys or dead ends. A labyrinth has one way in and one way out, although the path typically twists and turns back upon itself. There is symbolism here. One might think of it as a pilgrimage to the center (holy site) and then back out (home). Another symbol might be from birth to spiritual awakening to death. Perhaps another symbolic metaphor might be from uncertainty to discernment to action.
Labyrinths are ancient, showing up in many places in the world: ancient Greece (in particular Crete), appearing in Hopi and Hindi art. So, we might conclude that Labyrinths are human.
While there is no set ritual for walking and praying a labyrinth, you might be guided by these simple principles. Try to enter in a state of prayer. You might find some centering helpful before walking. Perhaps you want to prayerfully bring a question for discernment with you. Perhaps a mantra or prayer might help. Once you have entered the labyrinth, walk slowly, mindfully in an attitude of listening, of prayer. Pay attention to your prayer, but also to what emerges as you walk, twisting and winding your way into the center.
Once at the center you might spend more time in prayer.
When you are ready, work your way out in the same prayerful mindset as you entered.
Once you are finished, spending more time reflecting upon your journey is a common practice: journaling is a common methodology.
Labyrinths are showing up in various church yards and halls. I’ve even seen some in hospitals. There are even “finger” labyrinths that you can take with you.
For further information, you might take a look at the Labyrinth Society.
Blessed be
Currently I’ve been reading David Seidman The Complete Sailor
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Ched Myers. Binding the Strong Man: A Political Reading of Mark’s Story of Jesus.